In retrospect, Of Montreal ‘s 12th and previous album, 2012’s lousy with sylvianbriar, is my favorite album in recent years from Kevin Barnes prolific and capricious band, and the two tracks so far premiered of their upcoming album Aureate Gloom doesn’t make me doubt that Barnes and his quartet are on a psychedelic hot-streak at the moment; comfortably channeling the spirit and legacy of San Francisco, the city he decamped to before recording his previous album. “Bassem Sabry”, a track we featured a while back, was a bracing retreat to psych-funk, and new track “Empyrean Abattoir” is Barnes doing his best Syd Barrett impression. It’s a revitalized band nowadays, and it’s due time to pay attention to their music again. Look for Aureate Gloom on March 3 via Polyvinyl.
